When one thinks of Nashville, the first thought is typically cowboy hats, twangy guitars and drunk people stumbling down Broadway to belt out an out-of-tune George Strait cover at karaoke. Hushhh is a great alternative to that stereotype.

Formed in 2023, Hushhh is a rock band from the Music City, known for their dynamic, spacey guitar riffs and reflective lyrics. Some of their influences includes bands like Foo Fighters, The Smashing Pumpkins and Hum. Their debut EP Summer Medication was released on all music platforms in October 2023.

After nearly a month of me continually rescheduling due to a hectic workload and a trip out to Joshua Tree to record a new EP with my band, I finally got the chance to sit down with Zach Allen (vocals, guitars), Curtis Durard (guitars) and Dru Marshall (drums) of Hushhh. We got to chat about their creative process, the first records they purchased, the Nashville music scene and a recently-released music video for their track “In My Head.” Hushhh bassist, Ross Winchel, was busy playing a gig and unavailable to meet up, but was there in spirit assured the rest of the band.

Curtis: Hushhh is loud guitars, Zach’s distinct vocals and loud drums. It is kind of this cool mix of loud, energetic, but also melodic rock music.

Dru: I am a big fan of Zach’s lyrics. I think on this EP, Zach wrote all of the lyrics. I have always found his lyrics to be very introspective and thought-provoking and existential, which to me is very refreshing. I like lyrics like that as opposed to heartbreak songs or anything like that.

Zach: I definitely am an introvert and I like working to put those thoughts on paper. Being in Hushhh has shown me some things that I didn’t know that I could do. Writing lyrics is a thing that I have always tried to do, but now it has come to fruition, which is great.

Dru: Well, it’s funny because a couple of the songs that are on the EP, Curtis and I came up with many years ago. I remember the song “Lurking,” I came up with the main riff before I ever met Curtis. I’d say 10 years ago, probably. Curtis came over one day and we were just jamming, and I showed it to him, and he sped it up and made it way cooler. So, there are a couple of songs that are like that. Ross, our bass player, is always coming up with really cool basslines and suggesting dynamic changes, cutting off certain things, and it really feels like chipping away at a sculpture that you don’t know what will look like in the end.

Curtis: Usually I bring a riff and we kind of jam on it, rework it and see what sticks best. I feel like that is how it goes down mostly, no matter if it is a drum part, a bass part or guitar riff.

Zach: Honestly, everybody has their own song that they bring to the table, and when we get together, each part sort of comes together and makes a full piece.

Dru: My all-time favorite band is King’s X. They are just absolutely incredible to me, and I think not enough people are into them, unfortunately. They have been very influential to me since I was a kid and still influence me now, but as far as modern stuff goes, I am a big fan of bands like Animals as Leaders and CHON. Especially from a drumming perspective, they are very influential. Those drumming influences aren’t used the most when I am playing in Hushhh, but once in a while I like to throw something in there that is a little outside the box and technical. Teenage Wrist, Beach Fossils, Swervedriver are also high on the list.

Curtis: When I was a teenager, Metallica definitely influenced me. Nowadays, I tend to reach for older stuff and don’t seek out a lot of modern music, but I really like Smashing Pumpkins and their early music. I also really like house music and electronic music. It’s kind of all over the map for most of us.

Zach: When I was a teenager, definitely Jimi Hendrix, but currently, I really enjoy a band called VVaves. I’ve been getting into a lot of electronic music and this artist George Clanton has been someone I have really enjoyed diving into for a while now. It’s tough for me to answer that question because I’m always going in and out of what I am currently listening to.

Curtis: There are a lot of people to work with here in Nashville. You can get your hands dirty in any way you want to. If you are good, you can make it, but it may take a lot of time just because it is so saturated with good artists.

Zach: There is a lot of good music, especially from the underground here. You can see some amazing acts that aren’t big and don’t stay around long enough. Overall, Nashville is incredible and there are some really good artists here.

Dru: I’m the only one not from here. I moved here in 2017. I was in another band, and long story short: I toured hard for a while, the band fizzled and I started doing the “hired gun” thing. I was playing a lot of pop, a lot of country and everything in between. I say that there are more opportunities than anywhere else, for sure, but I lived in Los Angeles for a few years and I found that L.A. has a lot more original bands with people that wanted to play original music. If your goal is to get paid and you are looking for someone else to pay you for playing their music, Nashville is like a gold rush. There is so much work and so much opportunity. If you are wanting to create original music, I will admit that it is a lot harder. I think it just depends on what you are seeking. Sometimes you can feel like a sort of black sheep if you’re a musician or in a band and don’t live in a place with a rich music scene, and I experienced that a lot growing up and even in college. Living in Nashville, basically every single friend that I have made is a musician. Even on the days that I am not working on music, I can call up a musician friend and just jam, and to me that is the most awesome thing about this city. Music is my favorite thing and there is an overwhelming abundance of it and people who understand what it is like. I don’t feel isolated here.

Hushhh from Nashville. Photo by Blair Reinlie (@blair.delvecchio.photo)

Zack: I would say a hardcore/power violence band that is just now blowing up, but has been playing for a couple of years called Thirdface. Yautja too. They are great bands. Shibby Poole is in both of those bands and he recorded our EP.

Dru: Another band that we just played with, called Thirty Nights, just put out a song that I think is fucking sick. It’s called “Trapped in Amber.” I think they are fucking sweet, personally.

Curtis: One band that I like a lot is Better Off. I’ve been friends with Luke and everyone else in that band for a long time, and I think it’s really cool that they are still pursuing music in their 30s. We are still pursuing it, so it is cool to see.

Dru: I agree with that. It’s a different feeling nowadays. It can feel like work at times, but it also feels really rewarding. When we play shows or write a song that we’re really stoked on, it’s more rewarding for sure these days. About six months ago, I actually stopped taking gigs for other artists and now Hushhh is the only band that I play in. I still do other creative stuff for fun, but not playing music that I am not excited about is the best feeling ever.

Curtis: I feel like a lot of people in Nashville play music they aren’t excited about.

Zack: I definitely see it a lot.

Dru: And that’s the other side of the coin. When you want to make original music, but someone is paying you to play their music – on the outside, it might seem like you’ve made it and are “living the dream,” but on the inside it can be really kind of a bummer not being able to fully express yourself how you want to.

Curtis: I was born in ‘92, so the late 90s is when I really picked up on music. I bought the single CD version of “Livin’ La Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin and Eiffel 65’s “Blue.”

Zach: The first one I remember my mom buying me was either the Backstreet Boys Millenium Album or NSYNC’s Bye, Bye, Bye. I also remember listening to Sisqo’s album when I was like five years old.

Dru: Mine was on cassette – it wasn’t even a CD. Hanson was the first tape I ever got and that’s the reason that I play drums. There was a drum solo on that tape and I still remember it like I heard it yesterday. I heard that drum solo and I was like ‘I gotta’ learn how to play the drums,’ and that was it. But, also, to your guys’ points: my first were Hanson, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC and Will Smith.

Dru: I would probably choose something long and that I had never heard before. If there was something like a Beethoven’s Greatest Hits record or something, I’d probably choose that. Something that is new to me and will keep my brain occupied for a while, but some kind of classical thing.

Zach: I’d put on a harsh noise record, probably Merzbow, and see if everybody could stand it for 24 hours.

Curtis: I would go the opposite of Zach’s answer and do something chill. Probably something like Depression Cherry by Beach House. It’s poppy, but also chill. I like every song on that record, so I would go with that.

Curtis: For me, I would say Charli XCX. I don’t know what the songwriting approach is there, but I like that it’s always different sounding with each track. Sometimes it’s poppy, sometimes it’s harsh. I would like to be a fly on the wall or collaborate together just to see how that goes down.

Dru: I would love to write a song with Adam Franklin from Swervedriver. That would be really, really fucking cool.

Zach: Honestly, I would choose George Clanton again. He’s just fucking wild and fucking unique as hell, so I’d like to see what comes out of that.

Dru: We are currently working on a batch of new songs. We have seven ideas that we are looking at right now on the wall. We just want to make them sound as good as we can because we want to record again soon, but that depends on scheduling and working out all the songs. We recently put out a music video for our song “In My Head.” We filmed it all around Nashville at a couple of shows and just bouncing around town. We filmed it on one of those 2000s camcorders, so we are pretty stoked about it. We had a friend shoot the footage, but we took all the clips to Ross’s basement edited it ourselves. It took a long time, but we are really stoked about it.

Dru: I really just want to emphasize the lyrics. I think it is like a very strong “selling point,” if you will. I think the lyrics to our songs that Zach writes are very good, and I personally can say that I relate to them. I think a lot of people can too if they know to look out for it.

Curtis: I agree with that. Every time Zach shows me the lyrics to a song, I think ‘oh, man, sick – this is about drugs,’ and he’s like ‘nah, dude, it’s about love.’ Then he’ll come back with another song and I’ll be like ‘oh, man, this one’s about love’ and he’s like ‘nah, dude, this is about drugs.’ Overall, he writes really good lyrics, and I agree with Dru’s point.

Zach: If you come to a show, bring ear plugs.

Zach Allen, Dru Marshall, Ross Winchel and Curtis Durard of Hushhh. Photo by Blair Reinlie (@blair.delvecchio.photo)

Check out the music video for “In My Head” (Shot by Cortney Hale)